Basic Trope: An individual is so poor that he or she can't even afford basic shoes.
- Straight: Alice is so poor that she can't afford shoes, so she simply does without.
- Exaggerated: Alice is so poor that she can't even afford clothes, so she's always naked. Or perhaps in a Bankruptcy Barrel.
- Downplayed: Alice is lacking in shoes, but she has a good reliable pair of flip-flops.
- Justified: Shoes are expensive; Alice is often faced with the Sadistic Choice between buying enough food to keep her going and buying a pair of shoes.
- Inverted:
- Alice can afford to buy so many different shoes, she never wears the same pair twice.
- Not wearing shoes is a status symbol akin to Too Important to Walk. They can afford to go around barefoot with servants clearing the ground or rolling out carpets everywhere they go.
- Subverted:
- Alice has a pair of shoes that she wears.
- Alice has a couple of pairs of shoes: one for dressier occasions, and one for everyday wear.
- Alice goes without shoes because she simply Prefers Going Barefoot.
- Double Subverted:
- But she only has that one pair, and to say that they've seen better days is an understatement.
- She wishes she could afford more shoes like her wealthier best friend Betty.
- Going without shoes saves Alice some extra money so she can eat something besides ramen noodles every once in awhile.
- Parodied: Alice wears a Bankruptcy Barrel on each of her feet.
- Played For Laughs: Alice gets desperate and steals a pair of shoes, but she gets caught. Being a petty crime and having pity for her poverty, she is given a light but fitting punishment. She has to spend time with her ankles locked in public stocks, allowing local townsfolk to tickle her bare feet.
- Zig Zagged: Sometimes Alice is seen wearing shoes and/or raggy clothes, other times not.
- Averted: Alice can afford at least one halfway-decent pair of shoes.
- Enforced: "We need to show how down on her luck Alice is!"
- Lampshaded: "What I wouldn't give for a nice pair of shoes to wear...but they are so expensive, I can't afford them."
- Invoked: Alice was born and raised on the Wrong Side of the Tracks, and taught to not waste money on "frivolous" things.
- Exploited: Other characters tease Alice for not being able to afford even cheap shoes.
- Defied:
- Alice saves up her money and buys a decent, reliable pair of shoes. They'll keep her feet warm and protected, and if they're dressier shoes, may help her at a job interview. As far as Alice is concerned, shoes are therefore a justifiable purchase.
- Alice has a pair donated to her.
- Discussed: "Alice is so poor she can't even afford shoes."
- Conversed: "Really? Not even a pair of cheap ones?"
Back to Barefoot Poverty
